Asleep
by random-k
Summary: Shukaku consumes your sense of self. What does that mean? When it happens, what is left in its stead?


Asleep

* * *

_I own nothing but my own ideas_

* * *

Your name is Sabaku no Gaara. You were just born and have fallen asleep.

In your sleep you are stuck. It is cramped. It makes you want to kill something. You hate being stuck. Your mind is filled with the haze of insanity, disconnected memories. Too many memories. You are furious. The cage is helpless to stop you, but that does not matter. The only improvement about being in a cage-over imprisonment, is that from a cage- you can lash out at the world.

You are Sabaku no Gaara. You have just been born, and are already no stranger to bringing death and destruction into the world.

* * *

Your name is Sabaku no Gaara. You are age four and you have fallen asleep for the second time of your life. You know you aren't supposed to, but staying awake all the time is boring and energy depleting. At age four you lack the stamina and focus to stay awake without entertainment, and today was exhausting. Not that people are willing to entertain you.

In sleep you are someone else. A boy named Koso. That was his only name, and he was Shukaku's first container. The people treat him with a mixture of fear and respect, and for the first eleven years, no one denies him anything. He is demanding, spoiled, and dangerous. The people learn that with refusal comes a gory death. The people give him everything, food, woman, sacrifice. Suna follows his will, and is a place one will throw their child to the wolves for his amusement. To outsiders Suna is a place with no soul. When he is dying, he sees the relief of the people, and as he dies, he makes sure to drag the city down below the sand with him.

You are Sabaku no Gaara. You are four years old, and standing amongst a ruined playground and screaming children. Yashamaru is yelling at you, but you cant remember why.

* * *

Your name is Sabaku no Gaara. You are age six, and have just killed your uncle.

You are the Jubi. You are powerful, strong, and a destroyer of millions, until sealed by the sage. Jubi is divided into lesser Daemons. Later a Chakra pathway system will be based off it. But Shukaku is the Jubi's brain, its memory. And it receives any dead Jinchuriki's memory. You are a daemon in Kiri, in Iwa, in Kumo. It doesn't matter where you are because the story is the same. A Jinchuriki is shunned, cheated, abused, and ignored. When the town is in danger they are called to defend it. There is no thanks or praise for a job well done, nor mourning its death. It is a tool to be used- a bomb- and no one mourns a tool, however useful.

The same story with different circumstances plays out several times, and when you wake up you are probably Sabaku no Gaara, you might be anywhere from six to twenty five, and are standing in the ruins of Suna. You have just killed your uncle…

So why are you feeling dead inside?

* * *

Sakabu no Gaara is on a mission and he is age eight. There is not much that connects you to the name that people identify you by, because there is nothing to define him from countless others.

This time you chose to fall asleep. The battle bores you…

…Your name is Natsumi Rei and you are the container of the seven tails. You are- on the outside- the happiest person alive. Inside you would disagree. You are shunned, given rotten food, sleep on a bench outside, and get money from doing suicide missions. You have attempted suicide three times, but Chomel refuses to let it happen. You are honestly at a loss at why you are continually nice to people who hate you, and a part of you wants to blame Chomei. Its why the rest of your life went wrong. You die on a mission at age eleven, and no one cared, let alone cried.

You wake up. The name Sabaku no Gaara and the age eight once again apply to you. You are surrounded the familiar sight of dead bodies and blood, and another mission is complete.

* * *

The name is Sabaku no Gaara and the age is eleven. You are facing a challenging foe, and Mother has demanded this kill.

In sleep you kill. You stab, drown, beat, burn, cut, choke, and squeeze people to death. You are surrounded by bodies. You laugh…

… Your name is Rin Nohara, and you are the new third tails. You are eighteen years old. You are being sent on a mission by Kiri to unleash pure destruction on your village. As a former Ninja, you will be taken back , to be interrogated probably. You see your last hope in the form of a silver haired man, your old teammate. You wish for him to kill you. You feel horrible about this, The man has way to many issues left over from dead people- his father for instance- and you are asking him to add you to the list. But this is for your village, and you wont back down. Even though he refused, you still made him responsible for your death, and in doing so, managed something few Jinchuriki were able to do. Rin Norhara died as herself.

You wake up as the Sabaku no Gaara at the age of eleven. The man is dead.

* * *

The name is Still Sabaku no Gaara, and the age is now twelve. You are currently trying to kill Saskue Uchiha, but first you must get past Naruto Uzumaki. You let Mother take over, for this is a difficult foe, and it demanding more then you can remain focused on. Besides you wish to kill Saskue.

You are the second Shakaku container, and you are eight years old. You are a nameless orphan, and have once again been kicked out of your temporary home…

You are the second Shakaku container, and you are nine years old, filling your need for blood on a battlefield.

You were taken out of the cage you are locked in –when they don't need you- and lead forward. You are the executioner. You eat the ones damned by society.

You stride forward on yet another battlefield. Your Enemy runs. Your allies know they wont get far. You don't leave survivors.

You are falling amongst the sand. You are seventeen years old and experiencing your first defeat. Your body thuds to the ground, and the sword descends…

You are Sabaku no Gaara. You are twelve years old, and are falling through the air, sand sprawled around you. Mothers presence is gone, you have been defeated. Uzumaki is also falling, but you have no energy left to fight. It is over, and you have no purpose.

He will end it.

But he doesn't. He is also a Jinchuriki, and his purpose is a shield, a protector.

He has been acknowledged, he is loved, like no other Jinchuriki you have seen. You wonder if you could be like him someday.

Your name is Sabaku no Gaara, and you are physically twelve years old. In all of the lives you have seen, this is the first one that actually meant something.

* * *

_I believe that Shukaku wasn't always insane. Consuming someone's sense of self when they are asleep, would probably give one to many memories to stay sane, and I decided to expand on that. Reviewing makes my day, please do so._


End file.
